COMMUNITY POLICING

Supt A. Mavhudzi
Objectives
Identify and explain the Strategic Components of CP.

Identify key benefits and constraints in implementing

CP and ways for addressing them.

Explain the SARA Model as a problem solving

approach.
Explain the CP initiatives being implemented by the

ZRP and identify benefits and challenges.

Introduction
CP is reliant on the notion that community members

view Police as allies within community rather than an

occupying force.
 Definition of terms

CP is a philosophy that promotes organizational

strategies which support the systematic use of

partnership and problem solving technique, to

proactively address the immediate conditions that

give rise to public safety issues, such as crime,

social disorder and fear of crime.

 The Mighty Have Fallen
Nowadays, majority of officers, if not all, are advocating for less visibility to the public.

How?
Use of unmarked vehicles and their own private cars, plain clothes, changing uniforms

at work, etc which translates to:

 Less visibility

 Lack of public confidence and trust

 Less community engagements

 Poor police image

 Lack of legitimacy

 Lack of police confidence in their work.

 Mission of the ZRP
 The Mission of the ZRP Crime Strategy is to:

Provide quality, effective and efficient policing service to the

public through partnership with the community and other
agencies in order to prevent crime, reduce fear of crime,
bring more offenders to justice and to support the creation of
an environment conducive to social and economic
development.
 This mission succinctly defines CP.
Background of Community Policing
“…effective policing must derive from and flourish on the

goodwill and co-operation with the whole community from

whom any Police force derives its legitimacy. The Police must
strive to educate the masses so that they identify the
objectives and functions of the police as their own, in turn,
they must feel that the people’s needs and aspirations are also
their own” [Mugabe 1985].
CP was embraced in the ZRP since 1986.
Strategic Components of CP
CP is a philosophy of law enforcement that

employs three complementary strategies:

1. Organizational Transformation
2. Community Partnerships
3. Problem Solving
[Skogan, 2006]
1. Organizational Transformation
Alignment of organizational management, structure,

personnel and information systems to support

community partnerships and proactive problem solving.
Aims to increase community participation in the fight

against crime.
Ensure accessibility of police service through
establishment of police stations, posts and bases.
Deployment of Officers
With CP, there is a shift to the long-term assignment of officers to

specific neighborhoods or areas.

This enhances:

[a] Customer care

[b] Facilitate more contact between police and citizens
[c] Establishment of strong relationship and mutual
accountability.
Geographic assignment of Officers
Involve officers so deeply in the life of the
community that the officers feel responsible for
what happens in their beats.
Officers must become familiar with residents,
activities and social problems of the particular area.
Police officers integrated into a community will
identify with the are and take greater care in
safeguarding it and working to solve its problems.
Important Organizational Elements of CP
Training
Until CP is institutionalized in the organization, training in
its fundamental principles will need to take place regularly.
Leadership
There is need to support and articulate a commitment to CP
as the essence of crime management and way of doing
things.
• Consistent supervision is necessary.
• Supervisors should function as mentors, motivators and
facilitators.
2. Community Partnerships
Collaborative partnerships between the police and

community stakeholders to serve to develop solutions

to problems and increase the trust in the police.
Police and community members must develop active,

positive working relationships in order to build

enduring solutions and increase trust between the
police and the public.
The CP philosophy encourages police to use a variety

of positive approaches to improving the health and

safety of our communities.
CP officers play a very important role in building trust

with released prisoners and in supporting efforts to

reduce recidivism rates and ensure reintegration into
the society.
Who is included in the partnerships?
1. Passive Level: Community assumes a
compliant role and shows support for law and
order by what they don’t do.
2. Active Level: Community steps beyond their
law-abiding lives and get directly involved in
projects, programs and other specific efforts to
enhance their community safety.
Barriers to Community Partnerships
 Excessive force
 Police corruption
 Poor customer care
 Politics
 Authoritarianism
 Lack of leadership skills
 Lack of ownership
 Alienation of police officers
 Other organizational policies.
3. Problem Solving
CP enables proactive problem solving approach
toward policing, as opposed to the reactive incident-
oriented approach.
Police to proactively develop solutions to the
immediate underlying conditions contributing to
public safety problems.
Problem solving must be mainstreamed into all police
operations and guide decision making efforts.
In CP, the problem solving process is dependent on
input from both the police and the community.
SARA Model [Eck & Spelman, 1987]
Scanning - identify and prioritize the problem.
Carryout a police-community needs assessment.
Only through identifying, together with the community, the
existing [problems can we create solutions useful to citizens that
have significant and lasting impacts.
A carefully planned and methodically executed needs assessment
prior to intervening operational order development can go a long
way in helping police officers target its operations that address
community needs.
CP involves communal identification of their security needs,
which in turn the police take up seriously even if the problems
they define differ from police priorities. [Wycoff, 1988].
Analysis - understand the problem, the root causes, scope and effects.

Research what is known about the problem type.

Crime data - crime analysis charts, crime data bases, crime mapping

etc.
Data collection - interview with victims and offenders, residents and

focus groups.
Personal observation.

Response - Developing a problem solution.

Actions that are taken to alleviate the problem.

Data collected in the analysis stage is used to develop a strategy

to address the problem.

Come up with operational orders as a means of responding to the

problem at hand.
Several alternatives may be ranked and prioritized according to

difficulty and expense.

Assessment - Evaluate the effectiveness of the

intervention plan.
Determining whether broad objectives and specific

objectives were attained.

Identify any new strategies needed to augment the

original plan.
Broken Window Theory [Wilson and
Kelling, 1982]
This theory posits that failure to enforce minor offences
contributes to a downward spiral in which residents
become less involved and withdrawn from the community,
thereby allowing for crime and vandalism to proliferate.
In communities where no one cares, disorder and crime
may flourish.
Police and community need to identify and repair the “one
broken window”, which will proactively stop a bigger
problem from developing.
There is importance in maintaining communities without
broken windows.
ZRP Community Policing Initiatives
Home Officer Scheme

A scheme where the same police officer is assigned

permanently to a small geographic unit of his/her policing

area for a specific period of time working in partnership
with citizens to identify and solve crime problems.
By right, the officer should be staying in the assigned area

and must be known to the local leadership.

Each home officer should maintain a file and register,
hold monthly meetings, keep records of minutes and
give feedback in liaison with the CRLO.
Developing relationships is time consuming and is
long term strategy hence the need for long term
assignment of home officers in their areas of
operation.
Psychologically, a personal contact, however brief,
gives more reassurance and sense of ownership than
officers passing in the street.
Challenges of the Scheme
Lack of support from the community
Abuse of police powers, less or no supervision
Attitudinal problem of police officers pertaining to CP.
Language barrier.
Over familiarization.
Members being taken off their areas to perform other
duties.
Recommendations for Home Officer Scheme
There shall be two nominated home officers responsible
for every policing area under their jurisdiction.
50% of the population to know their home officers.
Every home officer should be trained in restorative
justice and conflict resolution for use in the community.
Home Officers to work with organizations within their
communities to identify local problems and agree on
possible solutions.
Police Constabulary
The Police Constabulary is established in terms of Section 27

of the Police Act.

A Constabulary member shall, while he is on duty, have the

same powers, functions and authority, and be subject to the

same responsibilities, discipline and penalties as a Regular
Force member….
Prospective member should be aged between 21 - 70 years,

clean record and medically fit.

Challenges facing Policon
Lack of motivation since its on voluntary basis and allowance
are only [paid in certain circumstances.
Erratic issuance of uniforms at the ZRP Ordinance.
Conflict of interest since they stay in the same policing area.
Lack of knowledge pertaining to certain crimes as a result of
lack of in-depth training.
May not be readily available when required as they are
privately employed somewhere.
Regular members seem to shun associating themselves with
police Constabulary members as they look down upon them.
Recommendations
Allocation of adequate uniforms
Allowances to motivate them.
Partnering them with regular members in their police
duties.
Offering incentives such as Cop of the Month and
Memorandum of Good Work performed.
Need for training of police Constabulary members by
PUC and through monthly meetings and lectures by
OICs.
Station Community Relations Liaison
Officers
Provides direct link between the police and the public.

Responsible for carrying out crime and general

awareness campaigns.
Spearheading community policing activities at the

station.
Recruitment of NWC and Policon members and their

training.
Counseling and providing advice on matters of domestic

and social nature./

Marketing the use of hot lines, WhatsApp platforms and

suggestion boxes.
Undertaking local public opinion surveys.

In view of their functions, the CRLOs are the bridge

between the community and the police in their areas.

Challenges
Language barrier

Resistance from some sections of the society owing to

political polarization.
Shortage of resources hampering communit6y policing

operations.
Lack of cooperation from some members iof the community.
Benefits
Increased crime detection rate.
Easy flow of information between the police and
the public.
Improved relations between the police and the
community.
Improved appreciation of police work and the
country laws through awareness campaigns.
Business Against Crime Forum of
Zimbabwe [BACFoZ]
This community policing strategy brings together
local business people and the police to share white
collar crime problem related information with a view
of bringing crime prevention strategies.
To devise crime prevention strategies, to share
information and to some extend resource mobilization
so that crime is contained.
The initiative was launched in June 2010 by the then
Commissioner General Cde A Chihuri.
The police becomes the Secretariat of the committee.
Challenges
Abuse of power by members of the committee
Inadequate funding
Failure to understand the objectives of the forum
Poor attendance by committee members
Sour relations borne out of police operations in the
community
Political polarization.
Benefits
Formation of coactive partnerships with them police and

the business people

Business people engagement in crime problem
identification and analysis as well as the formation of crime
fighting strategies which brings ownership to the outcomes
Material resource mobilization.
Crime Consultative Committees [CCC]
Circular 01/09.
The CCC is chosen by the community and not the
OIC.
This entails the participation prominent of influential
members of the community in a process of crime
consultation .
The committee should representative of the
community including civic organizations, government
officials, traditional leaders, business community,
church leaders , inter alia.
The OIC form the secretariat of the committee.
The CCC should at least hold quarterly meetings and a crime
report to be tabled for members to have an appreciation of
the challenges being faced in combating crime.
Challenges
Relocation or migration of members from their
communities.
Economic meltdown.
Lack of incentives.
Corruption on the part of officers.
Abuse of power of committee members.
Neighborhood Watch Committees
These are committees comprising of local people in a
community who are interested in working with the
police in protecting their property.
NWC members operate on voluntary basis in their
own neighborhood under the guidance of local
members from the local police station.
They also choose a specific dress order unique to their
areas which shall be approved by the OIC.
The Chief Warden is appointed by the OIC and
reports to the CRLO.
Benefits
Results in reduction in crime and improved quality of
life for neighborhood residents.
Unites the community around common goal - safety
and security and increases neighborhood cohesion.
It provides all members with basic skills on preventing
crime and reporting suspicious activities or crimes.
Reduces fear of crime in the community.
Improves crime reporting by citizens.
Increases surveillance in the community.
Challenges
Discuss!!
Suggestion Boxes and Hotlines
The ZRP embarked on a massive program in the mid
1990s of installing suggestion boxes at strategic public
places and hotlines at police stations.
These have been effective in providing information
which led to remarkable arrests.
The ZRP have also came up with its own website and
Whatsapp platform in a bid to move with technology.

Are suggestion boxes still effective in this day?

Police Junior Call Programme
Circular 01/09
To have a junior call club at each secondary school
targeting pupils focusing on: Law and Police with a special
emphasis on child sexual abuse, human rights etc, public
relations, tours and adventures.
The emphasis should be on what the junior call as a
community policing strategy in partnership with the
police can do to solve community problems being
experienced by the youths in their areas.
To provide a nucleus of youths with sound basic
knowledge of police work.
Benefits of Community Policing
CP allows Police Officers to;

Find their jobs safer and easier to do.

Face less litigation and gain longer careers.

Be treated with greater respect.

Have better morale and therefore more effective in

performing their police services to the community.
Get to know the citizens with whom they work.
CP allow Community residents to;
 Have more trust and less fear of police.
 Have a safer community.
 Have less tension and conflict.
 Gain greater cooperation from police.
 Gain increased safety for children and seniors.
 Gain quicker resolution to crime.
 Have increased public ownership of local crime
problems and willingness to play a role in problem
solving.
Barriers to Community Policing
Lack of commitment from some officers and culture change.
Community engagement seen as one-off series of events and
not mainstreamed.
Lack of community ownership of the process.
Lack of flexibility and tailoring at neighborhood level.
Performance measurement frameworks that do not reward
community engagement.
Lack of training for officers on community engagement
philosophy and methods.
Not valuing the contribution of communities and volunteers.
Political polarization.
Muito Obrigado